Portrait of a Hero
by Fangirling101B
Summary: What would have happened if Jim ran away before Blinky and Friends showed him that he is not alone? What if he had disappeared before the Battle of the Eternal Night? This is one possibility.
1. Chapter 1

What would have happened if Jim ran away before Blinky and Friends showed him that he is not alone?

This is one possibility.

* * *

WARNING! These characters do not belong to me! They belong to Guillermo Del Toro and Netflix.

* * *

_Words - _thoughts

"Words" - spoken aloud

* * *

"But you can let us help you." Barbara Lake pleaded. Jim sighed and looked down, grief and pain engraved in his turned to leap away from his family,responsibility, and friends. He tensed and jumped. Blinky suddenly rose up onto the roof, lifted by AAARRRGGHH.

"Master Jim wait!"

Jim slowed on the roof of the house next to the school, but only for a millisecond. He then continued away from the guilt he felt about the anguish he caused to his mother and friends.

"And I had a speech prepared..." Blinky muttered.

* * *

I vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, trying to get away from my conflicting feelings.

_I need to hide somewhere... _

_Let's go kill Gunmar right now!_

_I shouldn't go home or to Claire's house...not after the way I acted a few minutes ago. And I can't go to Toby's either. _

_It was my fault Claire got dragged into this. If I had stopped that goblin carrying Enrique, NotEnrique would never have brought goblin vengeance against her._

_I leapt onto a branch in a nearby tree. _

_I definitely can NOT go to Trollmarket, for obvious reasons..._

_Hungry... Want cat... _

_And Strickler is more likely to tell everyone where I am than help me. The same goes for Nomura, even if I could find where she lives. _

I jumped over a car and onto a house where I sat down to catch my breath. "I can't bunk with anyone that doesn't know about trolls because of my stupid hideous face," I muttered, frustrated.

_I could always live Darklands-style..._

_The cold. The rock under my exhausted aching body. The endless twists and turns. Enemies and monsters around every corner. The deep, all-consuming dark._

_An idea suddenly popped into my head, one that I had forgotten about. _

_What about Steve and Eli? _

I paused.

_But Coach lives with Steve, if he were to find out, the government could end up getting involved. Steve and I have never been on very friendly terms anyway... _

_Eli on the other hand... He has had experience with the supernatural and has covered up more troll mishaps than I can count. _

I had been to Eli's house a few times before, but never inside. I spirited almost halfway across town before finally finding the street he lived on.

"I hope Eli is ok with me staying at his house... I could always tell them everything so I can stay," I murmured thoughtfully. I ran past the houses trying to remember which one was his.

* * *

"Ok, Steve," Eli Pepperjack stated, "Since we still don't have a lot of information about monsters or creepers or whatever they are, we have to fill in the blanks ourselves." He took down his UFO poster to see the board behind it, completely covered in conspiracy theories.

"We already know that there are beings living beneath us," Eli started. "We know that they burn in the sunlight, and that they seem to be made of stone."

"We know that Jim fights some of the troll monsters," Steve said thoughtfully, "And that some creeper guys are ok."

"Yeah, that is basically everything," Eli sighed in frustration.

*tap tap tap*

Both boys whipped around to stare at the suspicious noise coming from the window.

* * *

I quickly found Eli's house and searched for his bedroom window.

"Of course, it had to be facing the open street," I sighed.

Creeping up as quietly as I could I jumped and grabbed the gutter. As I pulled myself up, I heard voices coming from the inside of Eli's room.

"Oh, Steve is here," I muttered regretfully. I put an ear to the window.

"...And that some creeper guys are ok," Steve mused.

"That is basically everything," Eli sighed.

_No going back now. _

I braced myself and tapped on the window. I jumped onto the roof and pressed myself flat against it as Steve opened the window.

"Who's out there! Show yourself!" he yelled.

"Steve," I hissed, "You don't want to wake up the whole neighborhood, do you?"

Even though I was concealed in darkness I could easily see the surprise on his face.

"Jim?" Steve called out warily.

"Wait, it's Jim?" Eli asked, sticking his head out of the window, looking around wildly trying to find me.

"Yeah, it's me, and I need a place to stay for a couple days," I whispered.

"Why? You already have a home and you could just stay at Dumb-zalski's," Steve hesitantly asked.

"I need somewhere to hide. Those places are not safe anymore. I am willing to answer any questions you have while I'm here. But I also have one request."

Steve pulled Eli back into the room.

"We're gonna think about it first." He proclaimed.

_Great. They decided to talk about it in a 'private' conversation. _

"We can't trust him! He won't even show us his scheming little face! Talk about a buttsnack," Steve whispered angrily.

"But he said he would answer our questions! Don't you want to know what has been happening in our town? What creepers are? Why creepers are here?" Eli insisted.

"Aaarg! Fine! But let's hear his 'request' before making any decisions," Steve agreed. They walked back to the window.

"Ok Jim, you can stay here, but you have to tell us your requirement," Eli bargained.

"All right," I sighed, "All I want is that you both don't look at me. And don't tell Toby and Claire I'm here."

"Well that doesn't seem too bad," Eli reasoned, "Come on in."

I asked them if I could stay in Eli's closet and they approved. I then asked if they could leave the room while I go in the closet, which was inconveniently stationed on the other side of the room, but Steve wouldn't get out of the room on the reasoning that 'I couldn't be trusted'. We compromised, letting Eli stay in the room with his eyes closed.

"Ugh. Fine! But I'm coming back in as soon as I hear the closet door close." Eli was turned around in the corner with his eyes closed when I came in. I looked at his room and was filled with amazement. An average high-school student figured out about trolls, goblins, and well, me before I revealed anything to him, accidentally or otherwise.

As I passed him, I whispered in his ear, "Thank you Eli." I quickly jumped into Eli's surprisingly oversized closet before he could turn around. Steve burst through the door as promised, once the closet door closed.

* * *

Author's Note - This is my first fanfic. Please tell me what was good, what was bad, what could be better... Please favorite and follow! ;)


	2. Chapter 2

WARNING! These characters do not belong to me! They belong to Guillermo Del Toro and Netflix.

* * *

_Words_ \- Thoughts

"Words - Talking

* * *

Eli's closet was about as long as I was tall. There were a few boxes of stuff in one corner and shelving about two-thirds up. It would be a great place to sleep comfortably during the day.

Eli and Steve soon started arguing about something, but I was completely focused on my new surroundings. I unconsciously ran a hand along my horn...

I don't know when I started trying to take my armor off again. I grabbed and scratched at it and I felt my frustration growing immensely.

_I just want it off!_

_No matter how clunky Toby and Claire's new armor can come off._

_Why can't mine come off?!_

The anger grew and grew, eventually letting out a growl. The arguing outside the closet ceased immediately. I froze.

_Oh, DEYA'S GRACE. They heard me._

They started whispering heatedly outside the door. Even though they were whispering, I could still hear them and the hurtful things they said.

_Stupid enhanced troll-senses._

"What was that?"

"Was that Jim?"

"Did he bring something with him?"

"Or is it even Jim at all?"

"What kind of creeper makes that kind of sound?"

I couldn't stand to hear any more. I grabbed one of the spare blankets off a shelf and tried to block out the suspicion and the hurt. Eventually Steve had to go home to get some sleep for the school day tomorrow. All was quiet. I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Eli waved goodbye to Steve as he sped off on his vespa. Once his friend was gone, he rushed up to his room to see if his visitor was still there. He slammed the door shut and waited for something to happen.

Nothing.

He knocked on the closet door and heard a soft snuffling from inside.

"Jim? Are you awake?" he asked tentatively.

When there was no answer, he decided that since it, whatever it was, was asleep, he would not get answers. Eli was the slightest bit tempted to open the door and see what it was, and why it had Jim's voice. He slowly reached for the handle and there was more shuffling and a low growl that cut off suddenly. He decided it would be safer to comply with the rules his guest had set. Or at least until Steve came back.

* * *

I slowly came back to my senses.

"Oof, I had a weird dream," I muttered, sitting up and looking around the enclosed space.

_Not a dream._

"What time is it?" I wondered.

A sharp pain gnawed at my stomach. I listened for any signs of life on the other side of the door. After a good bit of time, I peeked out the closet door, looking for Eli. Sunlight poured out of the window illuminating dust specs and I looked over at Eli's alarm clock.

"Three-thirty?" I yelped. I had slept almost the entire afternoon. "Eli must be coming home soon, school just got over."

_Although, I could take this opportunity to grab some food._

_No! I can't steal from Eli! He is my friend and stealing is wrong..._

I stood in the middle of the room arguing with myself until I heard the school bus pull up to the house.

"Well that settles it. I will leave after Eli falls asleep and find something to eat then," I concluded, walking back into the closet.

My sensitive ears picked up Eli slamming the front door and racing up the stairs. He flopped on his bed and sighed.

"Jim are you awake yet?"

He was speaking to me.

"Um, yeah?" I spoke.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Since I did say I would answer any queries for privacy and a place to stay, I agreed. "Sure. What is it?"

When Eli didn't respond right away, I knew it was going to be a personal question.

"Why don't you want us to look at you?"

The question hit me smack in the face.

"Uhh, …because?" I could tell he was itching to know. He smelled a bit funny, sort of like Blinky, he smelled like desire.

"But why?"

"It's my business, and I don't want to tell you!" I yelled, accidentally snapping and putting a slight growl at the end of my words.

I knew he didn't buy the weak excuse, but was too scared to keep pressing. Anyway, it wasn't a lie, I am a troll now, and it is my business.

"Half-troll, dummy!" I whispered.

_I am still human!_

"What was that Jim?"

_Oh, trolls. He heard me._

"Oh, nothing... Just thinking aloud."

Luckily, he bought it and chose to go downstairs and watch the TV special on the popular movie trilogy Gun Robots. Eli's closet was chock full of puzzles and books, so I decided to play Jenga to pass the time.

* * *

Eli contemplated Jim's words as he sat on the couch. Jim never entirely answered the question, and then saying half-troll.

_What did it mean? If one half is troll, then what is the other half? Why is Jim acting like this?_

He knew that everything was connected, and somehow, Jim was at the center. Eli decided to ask his mom if he could have Steve come over. Soon enough, he had the phone up to his ear, dialing.

When Steve gets here, we can finally learn what is happening in Arcadia from Jim. And, if it comes down to it, we will blackmail him into telling them everything.

* * *

Steve hated waiting.

He wanted to crush Jim for waltzing into the Pepperjack household thinking that all his wishes will be granted.

And although Claire and Toby have been in school, Jim hasn't for the past few days. When Jim was in school this past Tuesday, he looked just like he did every other day.

But recently Toby and Claire, Claire especially, have been looking distressed and exhausted as if they've been up all night.

Steve's phone began to ring, snapping him back to reality.

"Pepperjack, it's not like you to call me right after school."

"Steve, I need you to come over after dinner." Eli whispered, sounding rushed. "I was going to call you to help me talk to this so-called Jim, but I went back upstairs, and I heard loud crunching noises and what sounded like wood splintering!" Steve was confused.

"What?" he asked. Eli replied, "I don't think that is Jim. I think that it's a creeper posing as him!"

* * *

AN - I really hope you guys like this idea! Thank you very much to HollowReaperZ, Why does fanfiction exist, and AngetianPrincess18 for reviewing! Special shout-out to my followers! Please fave, follow, and review! ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**AN - I am so sorry this is a short chapter, I promise a longer one soon!**

* * *

"Oops. I ate Jenga."

I quickly covered my face. My fingers rested on the fangs protruding from my mouth. I then reached up to touch my horns.

It almost felt natural to rest my hand in the curve.

"Why did I do this to myself?" I said in a hushed tone.

Realizing that Eli could be outside the door, I curled up in the corner to take a nap.

* * *

Waking up about an hour later, I smelled something delicious and something kind-of gross at the same time.

_Eli's family must be eating dinner._

_But what is that beautiful scent?_

I spotted something shoved halfway under the door. I pulled it out and noticed it was a sock. An argyle sock.

"Why does a sock smell amazing?" I wondered, genuinely curious.

_Wait..._

_...Oh..._

"No. NOPE. NOOOT HAPPENING. NEVER."

_I know I seem to have adopted a troll's sense of taste... but I didn't think it could go this__far. I can't__eat this, but it smells so good..._

* * *

I ended up putting it in the corner farthest from my face and stacking two boxes on top of it.

_No matter what, I am not__going to eat a sock._

Someone pounded up the stairs, I knew it wasn't Eli because the steps were different. They were heavier, spread farther apart, like a troll from the Darklands.

_They're coming for you..._

When they came near Eli's room, fear clawed at my heart.

_Pain. Nomura. Hurt. Concussed sleep.__Cell. Smell of death._

The person stormed into the room and started shuffling around.

_Nyalagroths. Stink fruit. Bruises.__Dislocation._

He pounded on the door and I wanted to bolt.

_Nearly broken bones. Scrapes. Burns. Troll-worm eggs._

Steve's voice burned my ears.

_Gunmar. Decimar__Blade. Torture. Endless. Dark..._

I started whining and keening softly.

I wanted to throw open the closet, break the window and disappear. But the sun was still up, I would burn in the light.

_I am trapped between an angry Steve and the setting sun._

* * *

Eli followed Steve up to his room. He sat on the bed after setting up some lights to make it look like the sun was still up. He didn't want the creeper running away before he could catch him.

Even on the off chance it was Jim, something was wrong. He didn't want us to tell Toby and Claire where he was, so maybe they are after him.

"Come out here you coward! Or I'm coming in!"

Steve was shouting at that thing inside of the closet.

Eli's parents had gone on a double date with some of their friends, so there was no concern of getting anyone innocent dragged into this.

" NO! Don't come in! Please..." The creature's voice wavered and grew into a soft whimper.

Eli almost fell off his bed.

That creature sounds so much like Jim... and he asked nicely? Eli changed his plan on the spot.

He slipped out of the room while Steve was wrestling with the handle.

Charging in, he screeched," Steve! What are you doing?!"

Steve lost his grip on the door knob and fell in surprise.

"What am I doing? What are you doing?"

Eli motioned for him to play along and be quiet.

"Why did you attack Jim?" Eli questioned.

He led Steve out of the room continuing to 'scold' him. They made their way downstairs and as soon as they were out of earshot, Eli told Steve his new plan.

Steve would stay the night without "Jim's" knowledge. When the creeper fell asleep, they would go into the closet and get some answers by getting a good look at it.


	4. Chapter 4

My heart pounded in my chest, pressing against the metal armor.

_If Eli hadn't come when he did... I couldn't imagine what would have happened. _

The sun finally went down, and Eli was getting ready for bed. When Eli falls asleep, I can finally get out of this closet and stretch my legs.

I couldn't wait to feel the cool night breeze after being cooped up inside the closet.

The rustling of sheets told me that it was almost time to go.

_I have a while yet, so where should I go? _

_Maybe I could sneak into Trollmarket. _

_I feel like I should get Eli something more than just answers, and he did want to be Romeo in the school play. _

_Maybe I should get him a sword? _

_Or better yet, something so he can defend himself without getting injured in the process. _

_Although maybe instead of a weapon, I should get him some troll history books. _

_But going all the way into Trollmarket for some dusty old books? _

_Wait, aren't there some at my house? _

After what felt like an hour of debating with myself, I decided Eli was asleep and that I would get him the first edition of "A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore" from my house.

_Home is easier to break into than Trollmarket, I hope. _

_Now, to open the closet door. _

To say I was nervous would be an understatement.

This would be the first time to go out of the closet with another person in the room.

I reach for the handle slowly, carefully.

No alarms go off.

Nothing makes a sound.

I gently turn the knob, fearing the worst.

The door squeaks and I jump back.

I chuckle nervously when I realize it was the door and not someone coming to get me.

I open the door slowly and one squeak at a time.

The door was finally fully open, and I peer into Eli's darkened room.

I had never been in his room before, so I decided to look around a bit.

Closing the closet until there was a crack about an inch wide between the door and the frame, I started snooping.

* * *

Eli was surprisingly invested in conspiracy theories. All his shelves had some sort of alien figurine or books on conspiratorial topics, Area 51, magic, wizards, and of course more aliens. He also had a large Gunrobots poster that had aliens invading a planet.

I had never seen that poster before, so I decided to get a closer look.

In the soft red glow of my armor, I was able to make out the details on the UFOs and see the people and cows getting beamed up in the beams of light coming from the spaceships.

The poster rustled in the breeze coming from an open window and moved ever-so gently away from the wall.

There was something behind the poster, something hard and square.

I gently took the poster off the wall, setting the tacks aside. A large cork-board hung in the space where the poster was.

On the cork-board was a massive conspiracy theory culminating around Arcadia. "Trolls" was a large topic with many notes and pictures under it and tying it to Arcadia. There were also some other topics as well. The word "Wizards" was on the board, as well as "Aliens". On the board were many different pieces of red string attached to the pictures and notes leading to different places on a map of Arcadia.

To my surprise, there was a picture of Aja and Krel under "Aliens" as well as an elderly man with a corgi and the guy from the breakfast burrito truck.

Under "Trolls" he had a picture of me, Claire, and Toby.

He also had a picture of the goblin roadkill from that one time when his house was going to be attacked by goblins.

Strangely enough, he had gotten a picture of a head goblin, one with a mustache, that wasn't dead. Steve was also in the picture along with a flour 'baby' from health class.

"I should probably get going, I'm burning night."

I put the poster back on the wall, careful to cover the cork-board completely, and I stepped away from the wall just to make sure it was straight.

* * *

Eli pulled the covers over his fully clothed body. He hadn't changed into pajamas just in case he had to go creeper hunting.

Steve didn't want to sleep on the couch downstairs, so he decided to sleep at the foot of Eli's bed.

Eli made sure in advance that he would be able to stay up all night.

He had brought out his emergency stash of caffeine, three two-liter bottles of Mt. Dew, and had brought his phone to bed with him fully charged so he could watch movies.

Steve asked him if he could sleep and have Eli wake him up when it was time.

It was 10:18 p.m. when Eli opened his first bottle, slowly enough to be unnoticed. Eli put on his favorite season of Gunrobots and waited

Suddenly at 11:53 p.m., the door handle to the closet started wiggling.

* * *

Eli had planned to wake Steve up at midnight, on the dot, and then sneak into the closet.

Apparently, the creeper had other ideas.

Eli's closet squeaked and he heard a thump.

His heart quickened and he turned his phone off.

After a minute, the handle started jiggling again, this time much more slowly. The door opened, cautiously but ever steady.

When the door was open all the way, Eli thought he could see a faint red glow coming off the floor.

He held as still as he possibly could, worried that the creeper would hear him moving.

The glow rose up warily, until it was around six, or even seven feet tall and definitely not Jim, and probably not even human.

It closed the closet door behind it and ambled towards his shelves.

Eli watched as it reached up and touched his figurines. The head of the creeper swept its gaze across the room, settling on Eli's UFO poster.

_Oh no_, Eli watched with dread as the creeper shuffled closer to the poster, clearly unaware that Steve was sleeping on the floor right behind it.

He could only watch, paralyzed with terror when the wind blew in through the open window and ruffled the poster partially revealing his conspiracy board.

The creeper took the poster down and inhaled sharply as if it were surprised. For the next ten or so minutes the creeper looked at the board.

Another breath of air blew into the room and the creeper spoke, startling Eli so much he almost wet the bed.

It mumbled something like, "I should probably get rowing, I'm birding tonight."

The creature stepped back a few paces, and Eli heard a sickening crunch.

Steve started screaming hysterically, causing the creeper to start roaring and backing into a corner out of surprise and fear.

Eli knew he had to do something to stop the noise before his neighbors called the cops about it.

He grabbed the baseball bat Steve brought and whacked the guy on the head, knocking him unconscious.

The creeper stopped growling and curled itself up in the corner, whimpering and shaking.

This was it.

Eli was going to find out what was living in his closet.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the long update! I have been a little "under-the-weather" persay, and usually that would be cause to write more, right? Wrong. I my household, there is this thing called, "If your at home, you can clean." Pile make-up work on top of that, and it's pretty hard to write fanfic.**

**Although, this might end up being a two chapter day... **


	5. Chapter 5

I shook with fear.

_I broke Steve's arm by simply stepping on it. _

_This is it. _

_Eli is going to see me. _

_I am a monster. _

I clutched my horns, trying to pull them off of my head, but only succeeded in making my neck hurt.

_Great, they are stuck to my skull. _

_I wish I could go back to normal. _

Sobs shook my body and I curled into a ball.

Eli shuffled around the dark room, but I was too delirious to care.

To my shock, something soft was draped over my back.

I stiffened but gave in and got wrapped up in the blanket, completely covering myself with it from horns to toes.

_It was nice, warm and heavy. _

_I missed this feeling. _

_The feeling that nothing was wrong, it was completely safe, and there was nothing to worry about. _

Eli's overhead light clicked on, but I didn't care. He would find out eventually.

_He has me trapped. _

_I am completely at his mercy. _

_He would see the monster I am. _

I waited for the inevitable.

* * *

Strangely, he didn't come anywhere near me.

I wormed my way around to a spot where I could see the room through the blanket.

Eli had gotten a medical kit out and had started to make a splint for Steve's arm, which was twisted at an awkward angle.

He glanced up when I shuffled around to see better, but quickly went back to work.

_Was he not interested? _

_Did Eli care more about helping Steve than solving his own conspiracy theory? _

I hated not knowing what to do.

_Should I go back in the closet? _

_Should I escape and look for a new place to stay? _

I decided to back toward the bed, halfway between the closet and the open window.

And I waited.

Eli soon finished the splint and was now trying to get the unconscious Steve on the bed.

Being half his size, Eli failed miserably.

He collapsed against his bed worn out by exerting himself so late into the night. I knew he didn't mean to fall asleep, but he shortly became unconscious alongside Steve on the floor.

_I had to do something._

_I want to go outside. _

I figured that I should at least turn the overhead light off.

Coming out of my cocoon, I tiptoed the best I could to the wall and turned it off.

Walking back over to Eli, I picked him up and laid him in his bed and grabbed Steve, carefully maneuvering around his arm.

I figured that I could bring Steve to my house where I could leave him in the care of a doctor, and I could grab "A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore" Volume 1.

That might make up for tonight.

Although I should probably leave some explanations.

* * *

**AN: I would like to say "Thank you" to all of those who are following and have favorited my story so far! Also if anyone has any ideas on where the story should go, please tell me! Because I have no idea where this is headed. **


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